FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



OYMNOSPERJOE. 



The Gymnosperms arc technically distinguished from other seed-bearing trees 

 by having their ovules borne naked or without the usual covering provided in 

 other trees. They have resinous wood formed in concentric rings, which are 

 laid on each year, one outside of the preceding one, and just beneath the bark. 

 As with other classes of our trees which grow in this manner, the age can be 

 accurately told by counting the rings shown on a cross-section of the stein at 

 the ground just above where the root is given off. Some of these trees bear 

 male and female Mowers separately on different branches of the same tree, 

 and some bear male flowers on one tree and female (lowers on a different tree. 

 The male flowers produce pollen (resembling yellowish powder) in large quanti- 

 ties and the wind conveys it to the female or fruit ("seed") bearing flowers 

 for the purpose of fertilization. It is light and easily blown by wind for 50 

 or more yards. According to the character of their fruits, Gymnosperms are 

 divided into two families, Coniferse < cone-bearers), and Taxacese (yew-like). 



Family CONIFERS. 



This family includes the pines (/'inns), spruces (Pirca), larches or true 

 tamaracks (Larix), hemlocks (Tsuga), false or bastard hemlocks (Pseudo- 

 tsuga), firs or "balsam trees" (Abies), "bald" cypress (Taxodium), arbor- 



vita'S or "cedars" (Thuja), true cypresses (CupreS8US and Chamwcyparis) , 

 redwood and bigtree (Sequoia), and junipers or "cedars" (Juniperus). In 

 all but the last group these trees bear a fruit which is a distinctly woody cone, 

 with from two to several naked seeds under each of its overlapping or other- 

 wise closed scales. The junipers produce a berry-like fruit, which, though not 

 woody, is. however, morphologically a cone. The seeds of most conifers have 

 a thin wing which helps them greatly to be scattered by the wind far from the 

 parent tree, and so provides for their reproduction over a wide area. The seeds 

 of some conifers have no wing, or merely a rudimentary one. The berry-like 

 fruits of the junipers are largely dependent for their distribution upon birds 

 which eat them and upon Hood waters which distribute them. The hard seed 

 loses only its pulpy coating by being eaten. The leaves of conifers are small 

 and scale-like, or long and needle-like. In all but the bald cypresses (TdXO- 

 dium) and larches (Larix), the leaves remain on the trees for several years, 

 which has given them the names of "evergreens." The seed leaves (cotyledons) 

 number from 2 to about 18. 



PINUS. PINES. 



The pines are all evergreen trees. Their branches are more or less thickly 

 clothed with clusters of needle-like leaves in bundles of two. three, tour, or i\\v. 

 One species has solitary leaves. New haves arc formed each year on the young 

 twigs which lengthen the previous year's growth. The leaves produced in a 

 season may remain on the tree from two to six or eight years. They die and 



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